David Jackson

My Feedback: (15)

Just curious to know if anyone has had any recent contact with the folks at Sierra Precision? I have sent a couple of emails and left a few phone messages, but have yet to get any response. Trying to finish up a project and need a few parts.

wingspar

My Feedback: (3)

Thats been the MO for serveral years now. I'm thinking that retracts are now more of a side business for Darrell. I know he has spent $$$$ on new machinery and I'm sure it wasn't for the retract business. I've recently cancled an order because of no communications with Sierra. I've spent many a thousands of dollars with them because they are the best. I for one would be more then willing to pay and extra five or ten percent just to have a person to answer the phone and take my order. Also to give some follow up as to when they might be expected.

Lately I've been forced to other venders with less then perfect gear :-(

My dream would be Sierra's quality with Century jet models support. But at last, It's only a dream.

I'm going to be trying Shindin retracts for a 130" HS 129 that I will be building next year as he will do custom work. Hope it all works out.

Dave

spitfire66

It took me a long time to get ahold of anyone. I had to call early in the morning at 0700 EASTERN TIME to get in contact. It was smooth sailing after that. Good luck.

Chris Nicastro

My Feedback: (3)

I called, Darrell answered, we talked, I called back, placed my order and paid over the phone.....two weeks later box of landing gear and wheels arrived.

That was only two weeks ago. Its probably just hit and miss or it was just my day to get him on the phone and get my order in, who knows. Try again I guess.

invertmast

My Feedback: (23)

Ive resorted to designing my own gear and outsourcing to other shops. I even had a fairly simple fixed oleo strut i had designed that i need 10 of that i couldnt even get Darrell to respond to about doing them, even after he said at Toledo to send him an email about it.

Tony Gag Jr.

My Feedback: (124)

Been having that same problem with Darrell for a few years. He has had a spinner of mine for almost 3 years. He will not return my emails or phone calls. His products are fantastic but his customer service is horrible. I will no longer support him based on his customer service.

ticketec

My Feedback: (2)

Same problem here. Have a set of 1/5 Fw-190 retracts I needed door collars and retractable tail wheel to go with it, He had me measure up the retracts because there are several different diameters out there of his gear so I woudl receive the right collars. paid, package arrived wrong that don't fit. quite a few emails over time to let him know, no more responding to emails etc. they have now been in the bottom of a draw for 2 years now... or should I say a useless $70 has been sitting in the bottom of a draw.

I think anyone who has held a set or owned of sierra retracts dreams of sierra quality with some even remotely half decent communication.

Thanks

dave

alanc

we have a new reract engineer in the UK kingfisher, they export, and the quality is top notch, they will scale a leg as deep as your pocket will alow, if you want more details, just holler

stephanmk1

hello David.....for good customer service go to:SHINDIN MACHINE.....I had the same problem a few years ago but i did get my gears from Sierra. So call Lenny !

invertmast

My Feedback: (23)

People keep saying this, but i have had worse luck with Shindin than Sierra. I have emailed countless times to Shindin about getting prices on gear and only once did i get a response and that was one saying to go to Sierra. Atleast when i email Darrell asking if a gear is in stock and how much, i get a response with an answer fairly soon. If they are in stock, i pay and they show up within a few days. If they arent, i move on to somewhere else (or choose a different project)

TLH101

My Feedback: (90)

I sent him an e-mail Tues evening, 5/27, and had an answer in my e-mail Wed am.

Tony Gag Jr.

My Feedback: (124)

Consider yourself one of the lucky ones. Like I said, I sent him a spinner to cut and mount to a backplate. It will be 3 years this October. I have talked to him on the phone about 6 times and every time he tells me it will be shipped out next week. He has not responded to any of my emails in the last 2+ years. I have defended Darrell in the past but I have lost patience with him this time around.

ticketec

My Feedback: (2)

I had the same problem as invermast, but only worse!

Was trying to get a quote for a set of retracts and started emailing him, all of a sudden without cause he got pretty rude with me really. Then turned around and said sorry, had me confused with someone else... no way to run a business in my view. needless to say I didn't go ahead.

Having said that, Shindin might be good quality, but in terms of scale aspect... just crap. I don't really think you can compare the two brands at all. I put up with the sierra crap service for excellent SCALE product. I don't put up with crap service, for non scale products from shindin.

I can get retracts from anywhere and turn up legs similar to shindin's products on my own lathe,

I don't have a mill, but if I did, then I would make what sierra styled gear at home!

Thanks

dave

ticketec

My Feedback: (2)

Just had a look at his website, WOW! doesn't miss you when it comes to charging!! 660pound = $1100 USD for a set of 1/5 Fw-190 gear!
No pictures of the final product on the site either.


I personally thing Sierra is a little too expensive. not by much, but just a little too expensive. kingfisher seem to be wayyy out of the ballpark. For that kind of money I would be expecting better than this quality

http://www.as-scaleparts.de/7.html

The solution for me is not to throw money at it, but to get the quality that comes with sierra at an effective price.

Thanks

dave

invertmast

My Feedback: (23)

Dave,
pm me a photo of those collars and the dimensions you need them in and ill talk to my machinist about cutting a set. I can imagine them being much more than $30-40usd

ticketec

My Feedback: (2)

Sure,

No one said I was after the retracts for $100... But if shindin can do it for less than half that price, and sierra can product a superior product at a little more than half that price, where is the value in paying what he is asking? are they twice as good as the sierra product?

At that coin, I believe you can have the 1/4 scale Fw-190 i added the link to, which actuate as per the full sized units, and are some of the most scale Fw-190 retracts I have ever seen for it. Are his products at that level? Not sure, he has no pictures, and no information other than he is happy to charge twice what the competitors are asking for.

So yeah, I guess I expect that much engineering because the marketplace has already set the standard.

If he hopes to be successful at that price then he would have to vastly surpass his nearest competitors, both in service and product.


Thanks

dave

invertmast

My Feedback: (23)

+1

im actually working on development (the CAD drawings are done) on a set of simplified (actuation wise) but highly accurate FW190 gear. I have the 1/4 TA152 gear design drawn up, and converting them to 190 gear is simple.
If all works as planned, my gear will look like the 1/4 scale gear Dave linked to, but at a price similar to Sierra's gear. Im just waiting on the $$$ to pay for the machine work.

ticketec

My Feedback: (2)

Who's moaning??

Your boarding on being a shill if you deflect the lack of information about his high priced products and instead aim it at a poster who has done an ounce of research, and has personal experience with a few of the companies being discussed.

I shared my personal experiences with the companies which is relevant to the topic, And I have already stated that regardless of Sierra's bad customers service, i deal and still use his products because they are a RELIABLE, QUALITY product. I don't know of anyone who has ever been able to effectively question Sierra's reliability, which is why they can charge what they do for their product. Your mate, who has limited exposure in the international market and even less information about his product has to complete with that. I haven't attacked him other that there is no information for an extremely high priced product.

I'm sorry that you thought wouldn't actually look into your recommendations and what your mates is offering (because your recommendations in the past have been pretty good), but have failed to blindly go throwing money out the window for his products. The research took the better part of 3mins to do.. Here, i'll even give you a leg up and even post their prices for the same set of gear (1/5 Fw-190) converted to the same currency for you.

http://www.sierragiant.com/prod10.html

$545 USD

http://kingfisher-aviation.com/wp-co...K_Retracts.pdf

$1105.57 USD

http://www.shindinmachine.com/FW190/FW190.html

$345 USD

That's twice the price of the sierra's, and 3 times the price of shindin's. I used a run of the mill model (i.e. Fw-190, P-51) that are a dime a dozen at most model fields and therefore not bespoke or one off gear really, so a good guide to where their pricing is at. Actually at that price, you can have shindin retracts and the ESM 1/5 Fw-190 D for the cost of the kingfishers retracts.....

And I'm very sure Thomas's gear will also be on par with the very best of them if you look at the quality of his past work.

So the question is not about reliability, but accuracy of scale and customer service. So I ask again, what does he do soo much better that that is worth paying $560 for? That is a truckload of customer service that I seriously doubt I or anyone else on the other side of the world is going to see.

Thanks

dave

maverick-me_109

I've been reading all of the negative comments regarding Sierra Retracts customer service. I had purchased a retract set for my CMP Me-109 quite a few years ago. I called Sierra as I needed some parts and someone answered right away and he was very helpful in getting the parts I need. My info from the original purchase was in their computer system and my parts are on their way.

IFLYBVM2

My Feedback: (360)

I will also have to say my experience with Sierra in the last few years has been first class. Darrell has done some repairs for me with quick turn around, and I have ordered parts with timely delivery. I always call and seem to have the best luck reaching them early AM.
His stuff is, without question, the standard by which all others are judged. Just my opinion.
-Mike Oberst